The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has secured over $1.4 billion (about N1.87 trillion) in loans and grants from multilateral development partners to expand the national electricity transmission network, boosting wheeling capacity to more than 8,700 megawatts (MW) and commissioning 89 power transformers. However, the company says some electricity distribution companies (DisCos) remain unable or unwilling to take available power, limiting how much electricity reaches consumers.
Funding Mobilised from International Partners
Ajiboye Oluwagbenga, TCN's Executive Director of Transmission Service Provider, disclosed the development during a training workshop held in Keffi, Nasarawa State, on Thursday. He said the financing was secured through collaborations with major international development institutions, including the World Bank, African Development Bank, Japan International Cooperation Agency, and Agence Française de Développement.
Oluwagbenga explained that the investments had helped improve the strength and capacity of the national transmission network, allowing it to carry significantly more electricity. He noted that the funding was mobilised largely within the past 12 months.
Transmission Capacity Reaches 8,700MW
According to Oluwagbenga, TCN's transmission wheeling capacity currently stands at about 8,700MW, although the company has not yet physically tested the entire capacity. He said the figure was based on simulations and stressed that TCN had deliberately adopted a conservative approach when measuring the network's capacity.
“These things don’t come cheap at all. The investment made so far, accumulated in the last 12 months, that we have secured is in excess of $1.4bn from multilateral and development financing mobilised for TCN expansion,” he said. “When we are talking about the transmission wheeling capacity, we stand at 8,700MW. It has not been physically tested, but it has been simulated. So presently, that is where we are.”
Oluwagbenga added that more transmission facilities had been completed in the past six months but were yet to be included in the current capacity figure.
DisCos' Limited Uptake Remains a Challenge
Despite the improvements in the transmission network, Oluwagbenga said the sector still faced challenges in moving all available electricity to consumers. He specifically pointed to the inability or reluctance of some DisCos to take available power as one of the factors limiting electricity delivery.
The Federal Government has continued to invest in transmission infrastructure as part of broader efforts to remove bottlenecks in Nigeria’s electricity supply industry. Although generation and transmission capacity have improved, the sector continues to face problems including weak distribution networks, financial difficulties, and the inability of some DisCos to fully absorb the electricity available from power producers.
